49ers Run Out the Clock on the Packers' Season

The 2013 Green Bay Packers
season ended the same way it had last January, and with the same
outcome in which the past two seasons began—a Packers loss at the
hands of the San Francisco 49ers. The fourth such defeat in the past
16 months had all the makings of bucking the recent trend of Niners
dominance. Green Bay was riding high after a late-season surge that
saw the Pack squeaking into the postseason after the return of Aaron
Rodgers and Randall Cobb. Factor in the site of the playoff matchup
was the sub-zero wind chill confines of Lambeau Field, and this
offered the promise of a different contest than recent warm weather
bouts.

Though the scene,
circumstances and mercury level were different Sunday, one aspect
remained consistent with last season’s playoff loss and this year’s
23-20 Packers crushing Wild Card round ousting. His name is Colin
Kaepernick and he has Green Bay’s number.

While the game came down
to a Phil Dawson field goal as time expired, the game was decidedly
in San Francisco’s favor through the first quarter. Though the
first 15 minutes, the Packers offense managed a mere six yards (six!)
on nine plays, in which Rodgers went 0-2 for no yards. Meanwhile, the
Niners picked on an already short-handed Green Bay D, which also lost
Sam Shields and Mike Neal within minutes of the opening kickoff.
Fortunately, questionable red zone playcalling limited San Fran to
just two field goals.

The second quarter saw
Rodgers and company finding its footing, as a run-heavy drive that
culminated in a five-yard Jordy Nelson touchdown strike—making good
on a Tramon Williams interception on one of Kaepernick’s rare
miscues—to give the Packers a 7-6 lead. The lead didn’t last,
though, as the 49ers would respond with a Frank Gore touchdown (set
into motion with a 43-yard Kaepernick run). Before the half ended,
Mason Crosby closed the gap to three points with a chip-shot field
goal.

The second half found the
contemporary rivals trading defensive stands and offensive stumbles.
The quiet quarter concluded with a flurry of Packers runs, heaping
with runs to Eddie Lacy and James Starks. But a pass kept the drive
alive at the outset of the fourth quarter, as Rodgers escaped a sack
on fourth and two and found his new fourth down hot-read in Cobb for
26 yards (of Rodgers’ paltry 177-yard total). John Kuhn punched in
a touchdown from two yards out two plays later to put the Packers
ahead again.

That lead wouldn’t last,
though, as another lengthy Kaepernick scramble would set up a San
Francisco TD on the next drive, a 28-yard strike to Vernon Davis. The
Packers would respond with a Crosby field goal to knot things at 20
with a tad over five minutes left in regulation. Even after
squandering two timeouts in the third quarter, five minutes proved to
be more than enough time for Kaepernick—aided by dropped Micah Hyde
interception on a far-from automatic, but catchable pass—to drive
down the field. On third and 8 with time, with the Niners out of
field goal range and time winding down, the Packers were essentially
eliminated from contention by, shocker, a Kaepernick run—which put
the quarterback six feet short of 100 yards on the ground and put the
fate of the game on the foot of Dawson.

The veteran kicker nailed
his short field goal to hand San Francisco a 23-20 win as time
expired. While the outcome was the same, the unlikely chain of
events, the string of hardships and unexpected fortune that preceded
Sunday’s loss made this first round dispatching of an 8-7-1
division champion a dramatic end to a wild season. It’s a shame the
story won’t continue another week.

Player Of The Game
(Offense) – Eddie Lacy

On an altogether down day
for the Packers offense, Lacy’s hard-earned 81 rushing yards on 21
punishing carries stands out the most on an otherwise unsavory stat
sheet. The rookie rusher is hands-down Green Bay’s offensive player
of the year.

Player Of The Game
(Defense/Special Teams) – Tramon Williams

Aside from three sacks and
the collective stand in the third and (early) fourth quarters, nobody
really stood out—the story of the 2013 Packers, really. Amid missed
tackles, rampant injuries and dropped interceptions, Williams’
pick, two solo tackles and three passes defended were some of the
better moments from a defense who let a quarterback scamper for 98
yards and throw for 227 (including 125 to one receiver).

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